The experimental pieces of evidence for the existence of Majorana states in topo- logical superconductors have so far been inconclusive despite intense research in the past two decades [Zha+20; Kay+20]. Combined with promising applications in quantum computing [Nay+08; Ali+11] and the resulting technological development of society, the elusiveness of Majorana states keeps motivating theoretical and ex- perimental research to this day. Our analytical findings and numerical explorations in new topological superconducting platforms suggest several tools and solutions for their future realisation in condensed matter systems. The planar Josephson junction (pJJ) introduced in 2017 by F. Pientka et al. [Pie+17] and M. Hell et al. [HLF17] is a versatile platform for topological superconductivity. It harnesses the tunability of the superconducting phase difference across the Josephson junction as an external control parameter that switches the pJJ between the trivial and topological phases of matter. The junction between the (trivial) superconductors is quasi-one-dimensional and hosts one new Majorana zero mode at each of its ends following each topological phase transition. However, the creation of a second Majorana zero mode on one end triggers a return to the trivial regime as both zero modes hybridize into a regular non-topological fermion. It is then crucial to identify the model parameters that lead to topological phases with a single Majorana state per end. Our main result on the pJJ establishes the general constraint on its microscopic parameters—including the phase difference and a magnetic field—to cross the topo- logical phase transitions. The identification of sectors in parameter space leading to a single Majorana mode becomes then straightforward. In some limits the pJJ develops a topological sector at small magnetic field for a phase difference close to the value p while it remains trivial at the same field near zero phase difference. Since the phase is sufficient to turn on and off the topology, we call this feature “switchable topology”. Looking for switchable topology is experimentally relevant as it makes the topology easily tunable while keeping intact the proximitized su- perconductivity otherwise jeopardized by the applied field. Concretely, we found switchable topology in three configurations: in wide junctions with a transparent interface with the superconducting regions, in fine-tuned narrow junctions weakly coupled to the superconducting regions, and in junctions with a strong Zeeman energy when they are ultranarrow and transparent. Thanks to our exact analytical results, setups interpolating between these limits can adjust the desired properties at will. The other important finding about the pJJ concerns the stability of its topological phases, by which we mean the presence of a sizable spectral gap in the topological sector. We observed that the Rashba spin-orbit coupling is responsible for strongly decreasing the gap in the relevant topological sector at low Zeeman field, but sym- metry arguments justify that wide, transparent junctions are generically immune to this effect for large enough Rashba coupling. After 2017, other platforms started to use the Josephson superconducting phase difference as a knob to trigger topological superconductivity [Liu+19; JY21]. We introduce here the stacked Josephson junction (sJJ) as a new platform for topological superconductivity, which is made of two non-centrosymmetric superconductors sandwiching a two-dimensional magnet around which chiral Majorana edge modes propagate. Unlike the Majorana zero modes in the pJJ, chiral Majorana modes can add to each other if they propagate in the same direction, as indicated by the integer Chern number of their topological phase. The bulk-edge correspondence, however, only constrains the net number of topological edge states and allows room for other non-topological states to coexist with the chiral Majorana states without interacting with them. We found that the presence of trivial chiral edge modes in the sJJ restricts access to the Majorana states themselves. The symmetry protection of the trivial modes, fortunately, disappears with an in-plane magnetic field applied through the magnet or with superconducting leads different on the top and at the bottom of the stacked junction. The theoretical investigations of topological platforms have currently outnum- bered the experiments with convincing signatures of Majorana edge states. This imbalance calls for new ways to probe the agreement between topological models and laboratory setups. The critical current of a Josephson junction acts as a link between the microscopic description and macroscopic observables. Thermoelectric measurements, which distinguish between supercurrent and quasiparticle current, modify this model-dependent connection, and would provide an electrical probe to estimate the validity of a model like that of the pJJ. We computed the contribution to the thermoelectric coefficient of the bulk states of a uniform superconductor, that has a similar environment to that of the pJJ (i.e., Rashba coupling and in-plane Zeeman field). The results were not conclusive and motivated us to suggest new analytical and numerical approaches to obtain the thermoelectric response of the pJJ, in particular by including the contribution of the Andreev bound states and non-linear effects.:Foreword — how to read this thesis 1 Preamble A popular short story: pencils and lightbulbs 5 Basics and concepts 1 Introduction to Majorana physics 13 1.1 The electrons & their properties 13 1.1.1 Hamiltonian for the planar Josephson junction 17 1.2 The scattering matrix for bound states 19 1.3 Andreev bound states for topology 24 1.4 Topological superconductivity & Majorana edge states 28 1.5 Induced topological superconductivity 34 1.6 Summary 36 Appendices 37 1.A Microscopic dynamics 37 1.A.1 Origin of spin–orbit coupling 37 1.A.2 Bogoliubov-deGennes symmetrization 37 1.A.3 Andreev reflection below the coherence length 38 1.A.4 Proximity-induced superconductivity 40 1.A.5 From s- to p-wave superconductivity 41 1.B Scattering theory for bound states 44 1.B.1 Bound states as trapped waves 44 1.B.2 Scattering theory for an open region 45 1.B.3 Scattering theory for two open regions 46 1.B.4 Bound states recovered from an open region 47 1.B.5 Numerical scattering theory for bound states 48 2 Perspectives on electronic transport 53 2.1 Electric current in a metal 53 2.2 Quantum-mechanical current 54 2.2.1 Expression for the microscopic current 55 2.3 Thermoelectric current 57 2.3.1 The Boltzmann transport equation 61 2.4 Supercurrents and the superconducting coherence phase 64 2.4.1 Josephson currents 67 Appendices 71 2.A Electric current from a potential difference 71 2.B Scattering and current 71 2.C Hole-based current in metals 73 Introduction Introduction to the Research Projects 77 i Topological properties of Josephson junctions 3 Switchable topology in the planar Josephson junction 85 Motivation & Overview of the Study 85 3.1 The planar Josephson junction and the nanowire setup 87 3.1.1 Comparison with the nanowire setup. 89 3.2 Model 92 3.3 General formula for the phase transitions 94 3.3.1 Spin decoupling for the phase transitions 96 3.3.2 Exact reflection coefficients 97 3.3.3 Exact scattering formula and Andreev reflectivity 98 3.3.4 Andreev approximation 100 3.3.5 Dimensionless formulation 101 3.3.6 Numerical and analytical checks 103 3.4 Three regimes for switchable topology 105 3.4.1 Diamond-shape regime 108 3.4.2 V-shape regime 110 3.4.3 Nanowire regime 111 3.4.4 Summary: extent of the topological transitions 114 3.5 Avoiding regimes with a small topological gap 117 3.5.1 Gapless lines as BDI phase transitions 119 3.5.2 Opening the gap in f = p 120 3.5.3 Role of the Rashba coupling 121 3.6 Conclusion 125 Appendices 129 3.A Limiting cases of the pJJ 129 3.A.1 Andreev approximation 129 3.A.2 Small field limit 131 3.A.3 Delta-barrier junction 131 3.A.4 Semiconductor nanowire 132 3.B Normal reflection via surface impurity and surface refraction 134 3.C Symmetry-constrained gap closings 136 3.D Linear deviation of the gapless line near f = p 138 3.E Calculations for the scattering formula 141 3.E.1 Boundary conditions 141 3.E.2 Combinations of scattering coefficients 142 3.E.3 Andreev coefficients for the phase transitions 143 3.E.4 Formula for B > μ 145 4 Topological and trivial chiral states in the stacked Josephson junction 147 Motivation & Overview of the Study 147 4.1 The basics of the stacked Josephson junction 149 4.2 Continuous and lattice models 151 4.3 Topological index 155 4.3.1 Methodology for the Chern number 155 4.3.2 Interpretation of the results 156 4.4 Topological and trivial edge states 162 4.5 BDI phase transitions 167 4.5.1 Dimensional reduction 168 4.5.2 Link between topological invariants 170 4.5.3 Explaining the low-energy sector 171 4.6 Conclusion 174 Appendices 177 4.A Symmetries of the Hamiltonian 177 4.A.1 Class D 177 4.A.2 Class BDI 177 4.A.3 Gapless line in f = p 178 4.A.4 Symmetry around f = p 179 4.B The parity index in 2D TSC 180 ii Transport properties of the planar Josephson junction 5 An approach to thermoelectric effects in the planar Josephson junction 183 Motivation & Overview of the Study 183 5.1 From the Josephson junction to a homogeneous superconductor 185 5.2 Model and Phenomenology 187 5.2.1 Homogeneous superconductor 187 5.2.2 Analytical spectrum and two-surface approximation 188 5.2.3 Magnetoelectric supercurrent: phenomenology 191 5.3 Electric current in a spin–orbit coupled superconductor 194 5.3.1 Formula for the current 196 5.3.2 Zero-temperature current 198 5.3.3 Small perturbations at finite temperature 200 5.4 Thermoelectric current in a spin–orbit coupled superconductor 206 5.4.1 Distribution imbalance under temperature bias 208 5.4.2 Explicit formula for the thermoelectric current 209 5.5 Discussion and Outlook 213 Appendices 219 5.A The Boltzmann equation in temperature-biased superconductors 219 5.A.1 The linear approximation 220 5.A.2 The low-temperature approximation 220 5.A.3 Integral solution of the Boltzmann equation 223 5.B Diagonalisation of the planar superconductor 225 5.B.1 Eigenstates of spin–orbit coupled superconductor 225 5.B.2 Eigenstates with a small Zeeman field 227 Conclusion Majorana quasiparticles in Josephson junctions 233 Extra Material 6 Mathematical details of Scattering theory 241 6.1 Asymmetric quantum well 241 6.2 Scattering theory for an open region 243 6.2.1 Change in potential over a small region 243 6.2.2 Change in spin-orbit coupling over a small region 245 6.2.3 Change in mass over a small region 245 7 Numerical codes for chapter 4 247 7.1 BDI index 247 7.2 Chern number 255 7.3 Spectral gap 257 7.4 Localized edge states 258 8 Short courses 261 8.1 Two formulations of superconductivity 261 8.1.1 The BCS Hamiltonian 261 8.1.2 The Bogoliubov transformation 263 8.1.3 Bogoliubov-de Gennes symmetrization 264 8.1.4 Building the semiconductor representation 266 8.2 Topological band theory 270 8.3 Majorana physics in 1D 274 8.3.1 The SSH chain 275 8.3.2 The Kitaev chain 277 Bibliography 283

The Lorentz gas model describes a cloud of noninteracting point particles in an infinitely extended array of spherical scatterers with centers in a given locally finite point set of uniform density. In the classical case of identical scatterers, Marklof and Strömbergsson have recently developed a general framework that derives the macroscopic transport equations of this gas for a large class of such point sets. This master's thesis is part of a forthcoming paper by the author that generalizes this framework so as to allow non-identical scatterers. Under certain conditions on the point set and on the distribution of scatterer types, we prove a limit theorem for the free path length and the parameters of the first collision. We also establish bounds on the probability of grazing a scatterer, and sketch how this knowledge gives control of the flight process in the macroscopic limit. As an application, we show that our hypotheses hold for finite unions of affine lattices with one scatterer type per lattice, generalizing a recent result of Palmer and Strömbergsson.

In this thesis we study methods for solving the neutron transport equation (or linear Boltzmann equation). This is an integro-differential equation that describes the behaviour of neutrons during a nuclear fission reaction. Applications of this equation include modelling behaviour within nuclear reactors and the design of shielding around x-ray facilities in hospitals. Improvements in existing modelling techniques are an important way to address environmental and safety concerns of nuclear reactors, and also the safety of people working with or near radiation. The neutron transport equation typically has seven independent variables, however to facilitate rigorous mathematical analysis we consider the monoenergetic, steady-state equation without fission, and with isotropic interactions and isotropic source. Due to its high dimension, the equation is usually solved iteratively and we begin by considering a fundamental iterative method known as source iteration. We prove that the method converges assuming piecewise smooth material data, a result that is not present in the literature. We also improve upon known bounds on the rate of convergence assuming constant material data. We conclude by numerically verifying this new theory. We move on to consider the use of a specific, well-known diffusion equation to approximate the solution to the neutron transport equation. We provide a thorough presentation of its derivation (along with suitable boundary conditions) using an asymptotic expansion and matching procedure, a method originally presented by Habetler and Matkowsky in 1975. Next we state the method of diffusion synthetic acceleration (DSA) for which the diffusion approximation is instrumental. From there we move on to explore a new method of seeing the link between the diffusion and transport equations through the use of a block operator argument. Finally we consider domain decomposition algorithms for solving the neutron transport equation. Such methods have great potential for parallelisation and for the local application of different solution methods. A motivation for this work was to build an algorithm applying DSA only to regions of the domain where it is required. We give two very different domain decomposed source iteration algorithms, and we prove the convergence of both of these algorithms. This work provides a rigorous mathematical foundation for further development and exploration in this area. We conclude with numerical results to illustrate the new convergence theory, but also solve a physically-motivated problem using hybrid source iteration/ DSA algorithms and see significant reductions in the required computation time.

No description available.

Three-dimensional large-eddy simulations (LES) of single and multiple jets in cross-flow (JICF) were conducted using the 19-bit Lattice Boltzmann Equation (LBE) method coupled with a conventional Navier-Stokes (NS) finite-volume scheme. In this coupled LBE-NS approach, the LBE-LES was employed to simulate the flow inside jet nozzles, while the NS-LES was used to simulate the cross-flow. The key application area was to study the micro-blowing technique (MBT) for drag control similar to recent experiments at NASA/GRC. A single jet in the cross-flow case was used for validation purposes, and results were compared with experimental data and full LBE-LES simulation. Good agreement with data was obtained. Transient analysis of flow structures was performed to investigate the contribution of flow structures to the counter-rotating vortex pair (CRVP) formation. It was found that both spanwise roller (at the lee side of the jet) and streamwise vortices (at the jet-side) contribute to the generation of the CRVP. Span-wise roller at the corner of the jet experiences high spanwise vortex compression as well as high streamwise vortex stretch. As a result, they get realigned, mix with the jet-side streamwise vortices, and eventually generate the CRVP. Furthermore, acoustic pulses were used to test the proper information exchange from the LBE domain to the NS domain, and vice-versa. Subsequently, MBT over a flat plate with porosity of 25 percent was simulated using nine jets in a compressible cross-flow at a Mach number of 0.4. Three cases with injection ratios of 0.003, 0.02 and 0.07 were conducted to investigate how the blowing rate impacts skin friction. It is shown that MBT suppressed the near-wall vortices and reduced the skin friction by up to 50 percent. This is in good agreement with experimental data.

No description available.

No description available.

We study the application of Lie symmetry methods to solve some cases of the Boltzmann equation, a cornerstone of kinetic theory. The study explores hidden invariances and symmetry-based solutions that help to clarify the complexities inherent in the structure of the equation. Moreover, the study demonstrates a novel approach to solving the equation by rewriting it using the Fourier transform in the velocity variable, which resulted in a non-trivial solution to the Boltzmann equation. The findings not only clarify the mathematical underpinnings of the Boltzmann equation but also enhance our understanding of particle interactions in gases. Overall, this thesis not only enriches the theoretical understanding of integro-differential equations through its rigorous approach but also highlights the efficacy of Lie symmetry methods in unraveling the complexities of fundamental equations in physical sciences.

In this thesis, we study the relationship between the generalized eigenvalue problem (GEP) $Ax=\lambda Bx$, and systems of differential equations. We examine both the Jordan canonical form and Kronecker's canonical form (KCF). The first part of this work provides an introduction to the fundamentals of generalized eigenvalue problems and methods for solving this problem. We discuss the QZ algorithm, which can be used to determine the generalized eigenvalues and also how it can be implemented on MATLAB with the built in function 'eig'.  One essential facet of this work is the exploration of symmetric matrix pencils, which arise when A and B are both symmetric matrices. Furthermore we discuss discrete velocity models (DVMs) focusing specifically on a 12-velocity model on the plane. The results obtained are then applied to half-space problems for discrete velocity models, with a focus on planar stationary systems.

Cette thèse aborde le problème du transport diffusif dans les matériaux multicouches lorsque l'épaisseur des couches est comparable voire plus petit que le libre parcours moyen. Nous présentons un formalisme qui à la fois effectue une synthèse et permet d'aller au delà des divers modèles existants, dérive-diffusion, le modèle Valet-Fert, la méthode des flux ou encore le modèle de Fuchs-Sondheimer. Ce formalisme est applicable à deux types de structures: (i) la géométrie dite CPP (Current Perpendicular to Plane) où le courant moyen est perpendiculaire aux interfaces séparant les couches, et (ii) la géométrie dite CIP (Current In Plane) où le courant moyen est parallèle aux interfaces. Ce nouveau modèle de transport est bâti à partir d'une équation de Boltzmann où les collisions dans les couches et aux interfaces sont représentées par des intégrales de collision linéaires pouvant décrire aussi bien des réflexions spéculaires que des collisions aléatoires non nécessairement isotropes. La résolution de cette équation de Boltzmann pour déterminer les quantités macroscopiques locales d'intérêt se fait en trois étapes : pour chacune des couches, (1) la distribution locale des particules est séparée en deux « chiralités » caractérisés par le signe de la projection du vecteur vitesse de chaque particule le long de l'axe perpendiculaire aux interfaces ; (2) la description locale complète de la distribution angulaire des vitesses pour chaque chiralité est obtenue en développant sur une nouvelle base polynômes orthogonaux adaptée à l'existence de deux chiralités ; (3) pour effectuer la moyenne chirale sur la distribution angulaire des vitesses on définit une troncature minimale de ce développement adaptée aux quantités macroscopiques locales d'intérêt.L’étape (1) est nécessaire afin de pouvoir décrire correctement les collisions d'interfaces, l'étape (3) est usuelle mais l'ingrédient clef de ce formalisme est le point (2) qui seul permet de rendre cohérent les étapes (1) et (3) en présence d'interfaces. Pour la géométrie CPP, ce formalisme « Boltzmann chiral » permet d'unir les systèmes balistique et diffusif sous une même approche macroscopique. En présence de polarisation en spin, ce nouveau formalisme permet d'obtenir entre autre les résistances d'interfaces du modèle Valet-Fert en fonction des coefficients de transmission généralisés associés aux collisions d'interface. Pour les structures CIP, ce modèle permet d'obtenir des expressions analytiques pour les conductivités locales par couche (avec ou sans polarisation en spin) et de plus il rend le lien avec le transport CPP plus transparent. Ce formalisme n'étant pas propre au transport électrique, nous montrons sa versatilité sur une application au transport lumineux en revisitant le problème de Milne pour lequel nous retrouvons un résultat exact de façon beaucoup plus simple. Nous présentons pour terminer une méthode variationnelle fournissant une interprétation intéressante du modèle de Fuchs-Sondheimer. / This thesis addresses the problem of diffusive transport in multilayer systems when the layers thickness is of the order of or even smaller than the mean free path. We present a formalism which enables to synthetize and to go beyond various the standard models (drift-diffusion, Valet-Fert model, flux method or Fuchs-Sondheimer model). This formalism applies to two kinds of structures: (i) the so called CPP geometry (Current Perpendicular to Plane) where the mean transport current is perpendicular to the interfaces separating the layers, and (ii) the so called CIP (Current in Plane) geometry in which the mean transport current is parallel to interfaces. This new model of transport is build on the Boltzmann transport equation in which the scattering in the layer or at interfaces is represented by linear collision integrals that can describe specular and random scattering not necessarily isotropic. The resolution of this Boltzmann equation to obtain macroscopic quantities of interest is done in three steps for each layer: (1) the particle distribution is splitted into two “chiralities” characterized by the sign of the projection of the velocity vector of each particle along the axis perpendicular to interfaces; (2) the local description of the complete angular velocity distribution for each chirality is obtained by an expansion over a new orthogonal polynomial basis adapted to the existence of two chiralities; (3) to compute the chiral mean of the angular velocity distribution we define a minimal troncated expansion adapted to the local physical quantities of interest. Step (1) is necessary to describe correctly the interface scattering, step (3) is usual but the key ingredient of our formalism is step (2) which solely allows a coherent description of step (1) and (3) in the presence of interfaces. For spin polarized systems this novel formalism allows, among other things, to express the boundaries resistances of the Valet-Fert model in terms of generalized transmission coefficients associated to scattering at interfaces. For CIP structures, with this new approach we obtain explicit analytical expressions for the local conductivity of each layer (with or without spin polarisation) and we make the link with CPP transport more transparent. This novel formalism is not specific to electrical transport, to show its versatility we present an application to transport of light by revisiting the Milne problem for which we can recover certain exact result in a much simpler way. At last, we present a variational method which gives some interesting interpretation of the Fuchs-Sondheimer model.